Switch-actuating mechanism for seaming machines



Oct. 27, 1953 .-H, HACKLANDER SWITCH-ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR SEAMINGMACHINES Filed July 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Wurm/934 Oct. 27, 1953 H.HAQKLANLSER SWITCH-ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR SEAMING MACHINES Filed July20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllvlllllllllldll K11/ve ,Z

H2723 H10 and?? Patented Oct. 27, 1953 SWITCH-ACTUATING MECHANISM FORSEAMING MACHINES Hans Hacklander, Linden, N. J., assignor to The SingerManufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 20, 1950, Serial No.174,881

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a switch for controlling the turning on andofi of an electron tube oscillator responsively to the starting andstopping of the feed of the material being advanced through aradio-frequency field supplied by said oscillator.

More particularly, this invention relates to a switch-actuatingmechanism which is responsive to changes in the tension of a belt whichtransmits driving torque to the feeding mechanism of a seaming machine.

leretofore, this turning on and off of the oscillator has beenaccomplished by a switch mounted for actuation by the foot-treadle whichis operated to clutch and declutch the machine shaft and the drivingmotor in the customary manner of electric power transmitters. This hasnot proven to be entirely satisfactory due to the necessity of frequentreadjustments of the switch to compensate for the wear of the clutch andthe brake surfaces. That is to say, the proper timing of the switchactuation relative to the feed actuation is made difficult by the factthat the switch actuator is too remote from the feeding mechanism.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a switch-actuatingmechanism which is operative responsively to changes in the tension of abelt which transmits driving torque to the feeding mechanism of aseaming machine.

The invention will be better understood from the following descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and itsscope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an electronic seaming machine showing theapplication thereto of a switch-actuating mechanism embodying theinvention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the switch-actuating mechanism shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the switch-actuating mechanism shown inFig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, IIJ denotes a table top to which is secured abonding machine II of the type shown and described in the HacklanderPatent No. 2,432,412 and to which reference may be had for a morecomplete understanding of its structure.

Carried on the under side of the table top I is an electric transmitterl2 which has its power take-off pulley I3 connected by a belt I4 to thepulley of a balance wheel I of the bonding Inachine II. The electrictransmitter I2 may be of the type shown and described in the Peets etal. Patent No. 2,004,055, to which reference may be had for a morecomplete understanding of the operation thereof. The transmitter isbrought into effective operation by actuation of a pivotally supportedtreadle IS, acting through a rod Il connecting the treadle I6 and theoperating lever I8 of the transmitter I2. To start the machine, theoperator pushes down on the toe-portion of the treadle I6. This causesthe transmitter clutch to engage and, through the pulley I3, belt I4 andbalance wheel I5, to rotate the main shaft of the bonding machine II ina manner well-known in the art.

Feeding mechanism and electrode reciprocating mechanism are, as iscostomary, operatively connected to the main shaft so that feedingbegins as soon as the balance wheel I5 starts to turn. An electron tubeoscillator I9 generates radio-frequency energy which is conducted toelectrodes 20 and 2l by conducting wires indicated diagrammatically bylines 22 and 23 respectively in Fig. 1. Also connected to the oscillatorI9 are control wires 24 and 25 which terminate externally at theterminals 26 and 2l of a switch 28. Closure of said switch 28 operatesto turn on the oscillator I9 in any known man ner, such, for example, asis shown in the Fuge Patent No. 2,487,432, wherein the oscillator output is controlled by turning on and off the D. C. plate voltage suppliedto the oscillator tubes by operation of a relay. That is to say, theswitch 28 may be connected to control the energizing of a plate relayfor the oscillator I9.

The foregoing arrangement is well-known conventional practice forbonding machines employing oscillators for furnishing theradio-frequency energy. There will now be described a novel mechanismfor actuating the yswitch 28 so that the oscillator is turned on and offin precise timed relation to the starting and stopping of the feedingmechanism and independently of any changing condition of transmitteroperation such as that due to normal wear of the clutch and brakesurfaces.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, an upstanding sheetmetal supportingframe 29 is secured to the table top I0 by means of wood screws Sil-3Q.The frame is formed with a turned-over edge portion or ange 3l which isso shaped as to form with the upright portion a cover or guard for thebelt loop including the pulley portion of the hand wheel I5, but leavingthe hand wheel itself exposed for the usual manipulation thereof.

A lever 32 is formed intermediate its ends with a pivot stud 33 which isjournaled in a bushing 34 secured to said supporting frame 29. The stud33 is retained in said bushing 34 by means of a collar 35 secured tosaid stud by means of a setscrew 36.

The lever 32 is formed at one end with a hollow stud i'l which carries afree-iunning pulley 38 retained thereon by means of a washer 39 and acap-screw l threaded into said stud. A diametral bore 4l communicateswith the axial bore 42 of the stud 3l to provide a path for lubricatingoil applied to the aperture 43 of the oiler 44, 'to conduct said oil tothe bearing surfaces of the stud 37 and the pulley 38. The oiler 44projects through a slotted aperture EI in the -frarne l9 to beaccessible from the exterior of the frame. The opposite end of the leverprojects through a slotted aperture l5 in the forward vertical vedgeportion 3| oi the frame 29 and terminates in a handle 46 to provideconvenient means for manual operation of the lever. Overlying the topand bottoni e r" ci the aperture are stop pieces 4l* adju cred in placeby means of clamps lill- 43 fastened to said frame by nuts 49-49 andbolts Sil- 56. These stop-pieces 4l may be posi tioned to fix the limitsfor the movement of said lever 32.

A tension spring 5I, secured to the lever 32 at a point adjacent thehand-end thereof, is anchored to a lug 52 adjustably secured tothe frameby `means, of a tap screw 53, and normally ybiases the lever to theposition shown in Fig. 2, against the lower stop-piece 41. It will beseen that, in this position, the pulley 38 engages the inner side of thepulling run 5ft of the belt I4 and puts a slight hump in this run of thebelt, which correspends to the condition of the machine at rest with nodriving force applied to the belt.

In this condition, the lever 32 acting through a roller and a leafspring 56 actuator of the switch 'Z8 holds said switch in its opencontact position.. This corresponds to the off condition of theoscillator and no radio-irequency energy is delivered to the electrodes`2li and 2l. The switch 2t is adjustably mounted on the frame as shown.,by means of screws 5'1-51 which pass through apertures in the bodyportion of the switch 2t? and are tapped inte a `clamping plate 5S, asseen best in Fig. An elongated slot 59 in the frame permits the switchto be adjusted by pivoting it about one of the mounting screws to secureproper positioning for satisfactory actuation by movement of the lever32. It will be understood that the switch 28 per se is-a singlepole,single throw switch of the welllinown, nori'nally-closedypressure-sensitive type. which requires very small movement of theactuator to change from a fully open to a fully closed condition or viceversa.

When the operator pushes down on the toeportion ci the treadle it tostart the machine I l, the transmitter clutch is engaged, and drivingforce is applied to the pulley i3 which sets yupa driving' cris-ion inthe pull-ey run lili of the belt in the direction indicated by the arrowin Fig. 2. The tendency ci this tension is to reduce Vthe hump at thepulley and to straighten out the belt run; and so doing, the lever 32 isturned eicel-:wise on pivot as viewed in Fig. 1 and against the biasforce exerted by the spring 5I. This allows the leaf spring actuator 56to move upwardly and close the switch contacts, thus turning on Vtheoscillator I9 to iurnishiradio-fre- 4 quency energy to the electrodes2li and 2l by way of lines 22 and 23.

When the treadle I5 is heeled to stop the Inachine, the transmitterclutch is disengaged and the driving tension in the pulling run 54 ofthe belt decreases rapidly permitting the spring 5I to return the lever32 to its normal position, thus actuating the switch 28 to open itscontacts and turn off the oscillator I9.

It is clear from this description that the switch 26 is actuatedresponsively to the establishing and releasing of driving tension in thepulling run 54 of the belt I4 which, in turn, is directly coincidentalwith the starting and stopping of the feeding mechanism ci the bondingmachine II. Further, since the switch actuation is a function of acondition on the power talee-off side of the power transmitter i2, it isindependent of any time lags between treadle operation and the actualclutching or braking of the power transmitter and so is not subject tothe adverse elects on the switch operation timing of the wear of thebrake and clutch surfaces.

Thefhandle 46 on the lever 32 provides a readily accessible means formanually actuating the switch 28 to turn on the oscillator Il) withoutstarting the machine I I, as is desirable and necessary when tacking,for example.

A very practical feature of this structure is the ease with which vitmay be attached to existing machines in the field, requiring but Atwomechanical fastenings (screws Sli- 33) and two electrical connections(to terminals 26 and 2) for the complete installation.

A slotted aperture B (Fig. 4), provided in the edge El of the frame 29,permits the entire assembly to be readily swung away from the end oi'the machine I I after loosening but not removing the screws 35i-33.rThis is of importance, Vin gaining ready access to the belt and tothemterior parts of the mechanism.

Although this invention has lbeen illustrated in connection with theturning on and on of an oscillator responsively to the startingiandstopping of the feed of a bonding machine, it is to be understood thatit is not so limited, but includes within its scope, application .to anyseaining machine wherein starting and stopping is occasioned by changein the tension of the driving belt, and where it is desired to operatesome auxiliary device, such as a trimmer, at the beginning' and/0r atthe end of a seaming cycle.

Having thus set forth the nature of the/invention, what I claim hereinis:

1. In combination, a searning machine having a feeding mechanism, adriven member for actuating said feeding mechanism, an endless drivingmember in driving engagement with said driven member, means for startingand stopping said driving member, anelcctric circuit, a switch connectedto said circuit, and an operator for actuating said switch responsivelyto changes in the driving tension in said drivingniember incident tostarting and stopping said driving member, whereby said circuit isswitched rcsponsively to the starting and stopping of said feedingmechanism.

2. In combination, a seaming machine having electrodes and a feedingmechanism, a driven member for actuating said feeding mechanism anendless driving member in driving engage ment with said driven member,means for starting and stopping said driving member, a radiofrequencyoscillator electrically connected `to said electrodes, a switch forturning on and oiiF said oscillator, and mechanism responsive tovariations in the driving tension in said endless driving memberincident to starting and stopping said driving member for actuating saidswitch.

3. In combination, a bonding machine, a driving belt for said machine, aradio-frequency oscillator electrically connected to said machine, aswitch for turning on and 01T said oscillator, a pivoted lever foroperating said switch, a freerunning pulley secured to one end of saidlever and resiliently biased to engage the driving side of said belt sothat increased tension in said belt, occasioned by starting saidmachine, operates to turn said lever about its pivot to close saidswitch and turn on said oscillator.

4. In combination, a seaming machine having a driving belt and beltpulley, a table for supporting said machine, and abelt-tension-responsive switch-operating means comprising a supportingframe removably secured to the top of said table and shaped to provide aguard for the belt and belt pulley, a switch adjustably mounted on saidframe, a lever for actuating said switch and pivoted intermediate itsends on said frame, a free-running pulley secured to one arm of saidlever, a biasing member secured to the other arm of said lever to urgesaid pulley in a direction to engage said belt on its pulling side,whereby changes in the driving tension in said belt, occasioned bystarting and stopping said machine, are translated into motion of saidlever about its pivot with attendant actuation of said switch.

5. In combination, a seaming machine, a driving belt for said machine,an electrically-controlled auxiliary device, a switch for controllingsaid device, a pivoted lever for operating said switch, a free-runningpulley secured to one arm of said lever and resiliently biased to engagethe pulling side of said belt thereby to distort the normally straightrun of said belt, and means for selectively establishing driving tensionin said belt to start said machine, whereby said tension, acting todecrease said distortion, imparts to said lever a turning momentsufcient to overcome said bias, rotates the lever and operates saidswitch.

6. In a seaming machine, feeding mechanism, a shaft for driving saidfeeding mechanism, a belt pulley secured to said shaft, a belt fordriving said pulley, means for selectively establishing driving tensionin said belt to actuate said feeding mechanism, a supporting frameshaped to provide a guard for the belt and belt pulley, a switchadjustably mounted on said frame, a lever for actuating said switch andpivoted intermediate its ends on said frame, a free-running pulleysecured to one arm of said lever, and a biasing member secured to theother arm of said lever to urge the free-running pulley into engagementwith the pulling side of said belt, whereby changes in the tension ofsaid belt occasioned by starting and stopping said feeding mechanism aretranslated into motion of said arm about its pivot with attendantactuation of said switch.

7. In combination, a belt-driven seaming machine, abelt-tension-responsive switch mechanism comprising a pressure-sensitiveswitch, a centrally pivoted arm in operative relation with said switch,a free-running pulley secured to one end of said arm, said arm beingbiased to urge said pulley into limited engagement with the driving beltof said machine on the pulling side thereof whereby to distort the runof said belt out of its normally straight path so that increased tensionin said belt occasioned by starting said machine tends to straightensaid run of said belt and imparts to said arm through said pulley aturning moment suicient to overcome the biasing force and turn the armto actuate the switch.

8. A unitary switch assembly and belt guard for a belt-driven seamingmachine, comprising References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 218,884 Mills Apr. 20, 1879 404,651 PacaJune 4, 1889 1,138,744 Garros May 11, 1915 1,230,201 Morton June 19,1917 l 2,477,313 Quayle et al July 26, 1949 2,492,347 Ashley Dec. 27,1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date y 599,898 Great Britain Mar.23, 1948

